Tag Archives: Christmas

by | December 23, 2012 · 12:00 am

I Believe: Part 2


English: Thomas Nast's most famous drawing, &q...

Thomas Nast’s most famous drawing, “Merry Old Santa Claus”, from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper’s Weekly. Thomas Nast immortalized Santa Claus’ current look with an initial illustration in an 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly, as part of a large illustration titled “A Christmas Furlough” in which Nast set aside his regular news and political coverage to do a Santa Claus drawing. The popularity of that image prompted him to create another illustration in 1881. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Visit From Saint Nicholas, was first published in 1823 anonymously. It is in this poem that we have for the first time: stockings hung by the chimney, eight reindeer (named), reindeer and sleigh landing on the roof, a pack full of toys on his back, white beard, a short pipe, and Santa as a “fat elf”.

The chimney and stockings originally, as I said last week, started with the original Saint Nicholas, but in this poem we have the stockings filled with toys as part of Santa’s job (instead the only job). With the older Christian mythology of Bishop Nicholas, all the gifts are left in the stockings hung by the chimney.

Some today some state that the stockings tradition comes from Scandinavia and the older pagan ritual of leaving out shoes for the god Odin. To be sure the origin in Scandinavia, but not for the western Christian ritual. Today if someone comes up with some new electronic gadget the whole world knows about it. The world was a different place more than 1,000 years ago traditions were often similar, but from different origins in different parts of the world. In Scandinavia the shoes (or stockings) were left outside the door (instead of by the chimney) with hay and carrots in them for Odin’s horses and he replaced them with candy. In Turkey, Christians were unaware of the pagan traditions in Scandinavia. In Christian tradition, the stockings were left empty by the chimney, and filled with gifts (such as St. Nicholas’ gift of a dowry) by Saint Nicholas.

Why though was Santa Claus fat, and why did he smoke? Ah yes. Not very politically correct, well not for the 21st century, though very politically correct over 100 years ago. When tobacco was first discovered and brought back to Europe, it was very expensive and smoked only in pipes. Smoking became a status symbol, a sign of wealth and became wide spread. More than just smoking a pipe, the length of the pipe was also indicated a person’s social status in life.

If you were rich, you had your own pipe, a long stemmed pipe (I have one for my Santa collection). The common man did not own his own pipe. The common man would smoke at a tavern or inn (a bar). The innkeeper left pipes on the bar. A customer would pick up one of these pipes, break off the tip, and put his tobacco in the bowl to smoke. When the customer was done, he would lay the pipe on the bar and the next customer would pick it up and break the tip off, following the same steps of the previous customer. So, when Clement Clarke Moore had Santa with a “stump of a pipe” he was identifying Santa with the working class (a very political statement).

Thomas Nast was the first illustrator to give us visual images of Santa Claus, 100’s of images. Nast used a long stem pipe in his images, which made sense for Nast. Nast created an entire factory for Santa to make toys for all the children of the world (which he identified as being at the North Pole). A man who could afford all of this, including all the workers, and could give away the toys free was obviously wealthy. So, Nast used the long pipe to identify Santa as wealthy. Santa was over weight for the same reason, only wealthy people could afford enough food to be overweight.

Another controversy is over Santa’s red and white clothes. On Wikipedia it correctly states that many companies before Coca Cola used their company colors for Santa’s clothes in their advertising, and as such, several companies had red and white Santa’s before coke. Wikipedia goes on to say that for this reason, our red and white Santa is not because of Coca Cola. Well … yes and no. Yes there were several red and white Santa’s before coke. No, because Coca Cola IS the reason for our red and white Santa. Confused yet? It is simple. When the other companies gave us their red and white Santa, there were still other Santa’s in many colors. However, after Haddon Sundblom began doing the Coca Cola advertising paintings in the 1930’s, all the other Santa’s with other colors went out of style and Santa universally became a red and white suit only Santa. I saw an interview with Mr. Sundblom shortly before he died where he was asked why he painted Santa in red and white. Sundblom said he did that because red and white were Coca Cola’s company colors, the advertising firm did not tell him what colors to use and neither did Coca Cola, Sundblom said he chose them himself (Wikipedia got that one wrong too).

My favorite time of the year and my favorite holiday figure, I have researched Santa and Christmas for decades and I never tire of learning new things about the two. I enjoy giving talks about Santa and Christmas more than any other topic I give talks about. Next year, I will pick up where we have left off. For now, I wish that you and the people you share your life with will have a memorable and happy Christmas, filled with good cheer and love.

May God bless you and keep you …

and …

May you always have …

A Merry Christmas

January 3, 1863 cover of Harper's Weekly, one ...

January 3, 1863 cover of Harper’s Weekly, one of the first depictions of Santa Claus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Portrait of Santa Claus, by Thomas Na...

English: Portrait of Santa Claus, by Thomas Nast, Published in Harper’s Weekly, 1881 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Santa's Spreadsheet, after Haddon Sundblom

Santa’s Spreadsheet, after Haddon Sundblom (Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)

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by | November 18, 2012 · 12:00 am

Skip to the Lou My Darling


I did something impulsive and silly last Sunday. I, a 50-year-old man, while walking down the wide center aisle of our local Target store, began skipping down the aisle. My daughter and I were there looking for supplies to create a Christmas cartoon. We were walking hand in hand when I just started skipping, and Elizabeth joined me. The two of us going back and forth:

“You’re copying me!”

“Nuh uh, you’re copying ME! I started skipping first,”

“Nuh uh, I did. I’m telling your Mama you were copying me when I take you back.”

“Nuh uh. I’m telling my mama you were copying ME.”

We found what we were looking for, paid for the purchase, and skipped out of the store, through the parking lot to our car; back and forth all the way about who was copying who. We received more than a few looks from other customers (and a few smiles). I hope that encourages some of those other people to do something spontaneous and silly too. I saw a sign once that said, “we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.” Maybe, and maybe that is why older parents seem younger than some of their peers. Or, maybe it is just because we have not been through those teenage years with our children yet. Who knows, but does “why” really matter.

This morning (Monday morning, while waiting for school to start) my daughter said to me, more of a statement than a question:

“I can’t tell anyone about yesterday, can I?” a small frown on her face.

“The skipping? Sure you can.”

Her principal was nearby; he was the first one she told. He pointed out that the security cameras probably caught us on tape. She smiled big at that thought.

There are several unrelated reasons why I am telling you about this. First, it put a smile on my daughters face and did not cost me a dime. She smiled when I started skipping, and when she joined me. She smiled when we skipped out of the store. She frowned a little when she said she shouldn’t tell anyone, but the smile came back in spades when I said she could, and even grew as she told her principal about our escapades from yesterday.

I also believe doing silly, unexpected things with people you love not only makes them smile (or should), but it strengthens the bond between you and them. I know it does for me. I can remember telling a story about my grandfather at his graveside. There were people, who did not appreciate me telling such a story at such a somber moment (I wrote about this in my e-book A Grandfather’s Legacy), but I saw a few smiles and it made me smile again. I think my grandfather understood my tears, but I also think he would have liked the smile that was there too. I hope that when my daughter stands at my graveside she remembers skipping through Target with her daddy when she was 7 years old. I hope that a little smile accompanies her tears as she remembers that moment.

We will all die one day, and some of you believe death is the end, there is no afterlife. I believe in an afterlife, you do not have too, but I do. Even if you do not believe in an afterlife, your influence does not stop at the grave. You still love the people you have lost, that does not end at the grave.

One of my favorite authors, Robert Fulghum, has this quote from the storytellers creed in a note to the reader at the beginning of his book “ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN”.

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.

That myth is more potent than history.

That dreams are more powerful than facts.

That hope always triumphs over experience.

That laughter is the only cure for grief.

And I believe that love is stronger than death.”

Amen, Mr. Fulghum. I did not ask his permission to include that, but in this case I do not think he will mind (hey I’m not making money on it, and maybe some of you might check out his books too).

My daughter knows both of her great-grandfather’s. My Maternal grandfather died in 1977 and my paternal grandfather died in 1995. Elizabeth was not born until 2005, but she knows them both very well. She has seen their photographs, my maternal grandfather’s gold pocket watch, and the small table that sat in my grandparent’s house since before I was born (it now sits beside my bed). She also knows what my grandparents kept in each of this small table’s two drawers.

But those are just symbols of the man, something we can touch, something they touched. More important than the “things”, she knows their character. She knows you tell the truth and do the right thing, even if you have to pay a price, because it is good and right to do. She knows that my grandfathers did this and taught me to do this. She also knows some of their failings as men. No one is perfect. But, what she has learned from them, through me, is that when they made a mistake they did not let the mistake define them. Their mistakes did not become their new character, they apologized when it was called for, and held true to their integrity.

Elizabeth knows her great-grandfathers were great men (though neither of them would consider themselves great men). She has received a great gift from her relationship with them. Their gift to her is a knowledge of the greatness within herself, compassion for others, and permission to be an imperfect person. She knows that it is ok to try and fail, but we should never stop trying. She knows that when you tell the truth or do the right thing, you do that for yourself and the people who love you, as much as for other people. This is why it is important to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. She got all of that from two men that she will never be able to hold hands with, but she holds them in her heart.

When you see the influence these two men have had on my daughter, can anyone say they are dead? No, they will live in the heart of Elizabeth all the days of her life. So it is with those people around you, your friends, family, and people you will never be able to hold hands with. Do not doubt me; I know I am correct about this. You see your own faults, and sometimes that is all you see. Others see your gifts, strength, and heart as well. Even if I am wrong about you (and I am seldom wrong about people, a gift from my grandfather), you can do something about that. Tomorrow has not yet happened, and you decide who you will be tomorrow.

Next year will be a year of great opportunity for you. There will be trials, but learn from them and move on as quickly as possible. Thomas Edison said he did not fail at making a light bulb 1000 times, he just learned 1000 ways not to make a light bulb. I promise you (and I never make promises), whatever your new career is next year, you will become the success you were always meant to be long before you go through 1000 learning experiences.

Just do not forget to be silly once in a while along the way. It lightens your heart, puts a smile on your face, and makes memories for people you will never get to meet. Happy memories, memories that will make it possible for those people to go through their learning experiences and become the people they were born to become.

You are great and no one is insignificant. Be thankful in this season of thanksgiving, I am. I am thankful for my grandparents, my daughters, my friends, all those I love greatly (and the ones I do not love greatly), and I am most sincerely thankful for you and the time we spend together for a few minutes on Sundays.

Have a great week and thank you.

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by | November 4, 2012 · 12:00 am

Something For Yourself


I want to ask you to do something for yourself, but I need to tell you a couple of stories first.

This past week (just before Halloween), the Halloween stuff went on sale and the Christmas stuff came out at my local Kroger’s. I was telling this to my mother and it prompted a conversation about her best Christmas. That very same Christmas was my worst Christmas, but as a dad myself now, I can understand the parent side and the child side of that one Christmas, but I am getting ahead of myself.

When I was ten years old (gee has it really been 40 years ago … I can’t be that old) we were not going to have a Christmas. It was not that my brothers and I had been bad. My youngest brother had just been born on the 10th of December; we were already poor, and in a time when most people had to pay their own medical bills for the birth of a baby, the birth of Jason used all of the money my parents had. So, this year there would be no Christmas. With two older sons (I was ten and Jeff was eight) in the house to feed as well, there would be no presents for Christmas … for anyone.

Then a local minister, that knew our family’s situation, stepped forward. He mobilized his church and they came through with Christmas for us. He got in a lot of trouble for this when his congregation found out we were not members of their church, he could have lost his job. But, he stood his ground, it was the right thing to do, it was the Christian thing to do, and he was glad he did it. I guess you could say his attitude was consequences be damned, he was helping this family (though the word damn is not in his vocabulary). As an adult I will always be grateful to him for risking his job (and when you place your job at risk you are also placing your family at risk) to help us. My mother will always be grateful because her boys had presents to open on Christmas morning.

I understand that parental pain. We tell our children that Santa has a list of good boys and girls, and that he checks it twice. Then, Christmas morning your child runs to the tree and there is nothing under the tree. Even if they can hold back the tears, even if they do not ask the questions out loud, the questions are still there … and unanswered. “What did I do wrong? Why didn’t Santa bring me anything? With all the boys and girls in the whole world, did he just forget me?” Then comes the return to school and all the pain comes back again. All the other kids talking about what they got for Christmas and asking you what you got for Christmas. What did you get for Christmas? Nothing. The boy who got only socks does not feel so bad now.

My brother and I did not have to go through this. That church provided all the gifts we opened. My younger brother had a great Christmas and played with his toys non-stop all day. But like I said this was my worst Christmas ever, maybe I noticed this one small little thing because I was older than Jeff. Maybe, I noticed this one little difference because, as my grandfather used to say behind my back, I had an “old head on my shoulders.”

Whatever the reason I did notice the difference, the difference I noticed was that not one of my gifts had my name on the package. Every one of my gifts was addressed to “boy age 10.” I explained the parent side of this Christmas. Now I want to explain the ten-year-old-little-boy side of this Christmas.

I had no presents for Christmas. Sure I had stuff to open, but those presents were not for me, those presents were not “To: Joe From: Santa”, or from anyone else for that matter. I am Joe, I am not “boy age ten”. I went to school with a classroom full of “boy age ten.” If those gifts had been for me, they would have been addressed “To: Joe.” I knew I had not been a bad boy that year. Not only had I tried to be good, but as soon as my baby brother, Jason, came home I started feeding, changing, and taking care of him as much as possible. I watched him, bathed him, and in the future there would be many times when I was both mother and father to him. That cost me, to this day Jason and I have never had that brother-to-brother relationship (but that is another story, one that I am not going to share). My point is that I knew I was not bad, but I also knew that no one went to the store to buy a present for Joe C Combs 2nd. Someone went to the store to buy Christmas gifts for a generic boy who was “age ten.” That hurt, that hurt just like that kid I described in the fifth paragraph above. I did not say anything … to anyone. My mother did not know how I felt until this past week when we talked about that Christmas 40 years ago.

I think part of the reason I stayed quiet for so long was because I understood the intention. The intention was caring, thoughtful, and loving; I knew there were other kids that did not have anything to open, or if they did have something to open, it was only a few packages of things they needed, like socks. I was ten, but I understood these things, and I did not want to hurt anyone else’s feelings.

Why is it that two little boys are abused as children and one becomes a killer while the other one becomes a pediatrician that spends his weekends giving free medical care at the orphanage? In life, it is not what happens to you, but how you react to what happens to you. The one little boy passes the abuse to the next generation and the other little boy becomes a doctor and breaks that chain. That second little boy says “NO! No more will this abuse be passed to the next generation.” Not everything is as large as becoming a doctor or a killer, most things are small. Some things are so small that other people do not notice them, but you do. You know that small little thing (that no one else notices) that happened to you and to your parents before you. You know that you do not like that small thing, it may even hurt your feelings. Do you see the incredible power you have. You. You and no one else has the power to pass that on to another person or to say to yourself, “No. No more will this be passed to another person.” You have that power, no one else has that power, not your parents, your brother or sister, not the President of the United States. You and you alone have that power.

What I did was to spend the next forty years giving something to someone every Christmas, someone who was in need. I now include my daughter.  But, every time I give something it has that person’s name attached to it. I give anonymously, and sometimes I never know who the receiver is (like the angel trees in stores), but I always make sure the receiver’s name is on that package; always, every time, no exceptions.

One year I went to someplace collecting things and had this conversation (this is word for word, or as much of it as I can remember 22 years later).

“Excuse me. I bought this gift, but I want to make sure the child’s name will go on the gift.”

“Sir, we are not allowed to tell you who the gifts go to.”

“I do not care who gets the gift, I just want to make sure the gift will have the child’s name on it when they get it.”

“I’m not allowed to tell you who will get the gift.”

“I do not want to know the child’s name, I just want to know the gift will have the child’s name on it before they get it.”

“We do not give out the names of the people receiving the gifts.”

“Good. I do not want to know the name. But, if you cannot tell me a name will go on this before a kid gets it then I will keep it.”

She still would not guarantee me that the kid’s name would go on the gift. So, I went to Wal-Mart. The angel tree at Wal-Mart had angel cutouts with a child’s first name, age, sizes, and a toy that they wanted too. I walked up to the customer service desk and had this conversation.

“I have a gift I want to give for your angel tree, but I did not buy it here. Is that ok?”

“Oh yes sir. Thank you sir. You can leave it here if you want too, and I will take care of it for you.”

“I just didn’t know if you would accept something from another store for your angel tree.”

“We would like you to buy it here, but you do not have too. It’s about the kids.”

Yes Wal-Mart, it is about the kids, you are right. So, I left my gift at a Wal-Mart where I knew the child’s name would go on the gift before it was delivered. I know Wal-Mart gets bad publicity sometimes, but for everything I don’t like about them, I will never say anything bad about them because of two employees (this woman is the first and I will tell you another time about the second).

So, what is it I want you to do for yourself this Christmas? I want you to give something to someone anonymously. I want you to go to a church, fire station (remember Toys For Tots, the fire departments do this every year with the Marine Corps Reserve), or one of those angel trees and give something, something for a child. I know many of you are having a hard time now, and do not know what you will do for Christmas for your family. Just donate a pair of mittens to keep a child’s fingers warm. You have seven weeks. Take a coffee cup, set it on your counter and put some of your change in it every day, all your quarters, or all your dimes if you cannot spare all of your change. At the end of those seven weeks you will be able to buy those mittens, who knows maybe you will be able to buy two pairs and help two children.

I do not enjoy competition. I have awards in several fields (art, music, writing, military service & etc), people do not take you seriously if you do not have awards. My philosophy has always been that no matter how good you are someone is better, no matter how bad you are someone is worse. That applies to finances too. No matter how good you have it, someone is better off. No matter how bad your money is now, someone is worse off.

Yes, I know some of you are struggling right now, but there are those in worse shape than yourself and your family. One pair of mittens may not seem like much, but it may be the whole world to a child this Christmas. Maybe one pair of mittens is a big deal for you this year. Do you remember the Christmas story about the woman who cut her hair and sold it to buy a watch chain for her husband, while her husband was selling his pocket watch to buy silver hair combs for his wife for Christmas? It was everything they had. It was a Christmas when a husband and wife gave not only their most prized possession, but their only possession for each other.

Giving to someone else does something for you and to you. The harder it is for you to give, the more you receive when you give. I can’t explain it, but it is so, I know from experience.

So, this year I want you to give something to a stranger for Christmas, THAT is what I want to ask you to do for yourself.

Thank you, and may you have a good holiday season, and may you always feel the love that only giving creates.

English: Santa Claus with a little girl Espera...

English: Santa Claus with a little girl Esperanto: Patro Kristnasko kaj malgranda knabino Suomi: Joulupukki ja pieni tyttö (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas,...

The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas, (1686), published shortly after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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by | July 1, 2012 · 12:01 am

The Immigrant


A replica of a cabin in which soldiers would h...

A replica of a cabin in which soldiers would have lived at Valley Forge (unknown date) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Like many Americans, George Goodykoontz was an immigrant. Born in Germany, he settled in northeastern Pennsylvania in Northampton County. The year before, George became an American citizen on July fourth and now he was a volunteer in the army. Normally forty-five year old men are not accepted as new recruits in the military, but these were desperate times. In just two battles the previous year, many of George’s neighbors were killed. Their regiment was almost wiped out covering the retreat of the army from New York and those who survived were killed in battle shortly thereafter. To quote Thomas Paine “These are the times that try men’s souls”.

George had only been in the military six months, having joined in June, but he already knew what defeat was like. The last major defeat took place just outside the capital on the banks of a creek. Outnumbered their commanding general organized a defensive line along the creek, believing the enemy would try a frontal attack. The enemy commander divided his forces, crossing the creek up river and out flanked them, driving the Americans from the field of battle. The capital fell. Could this army win a battle, would this young republic survive? What would happen to George’s family? He could go back to Germany, would he?

A foreign military adviser had scouted an area for the army to camp for the winter. Twenty-five miles west of the capital near major trade routes and farm supplies on the west bank of a river, this valley would be the winter encampment for an American army that was on the verge of collapse. An American army that had lost its capital and almost every battle it fought. Having lost another one thousand men in a failed attack only weeks after being out flanked on the creek, eleven thousand men trudged on foot, in a light snow, up Gulph road to the valley that would be their winter camp. The army arrived on December nineteenth; they would build cabins for the winter but this day they set their tents.

English: The headquarters of George Washington...

English: The headquarters of George Washington at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One week later, on Christmas day, the army was still living in tents and once again, the snow was falling. The commanding general was in his tent writing his resignation letter when he heard a great noise coming from the camp. He left his tent and went from campsite to campsite and found the men singing and in great spirits. At one campsite, he asked the men “Have you not suffered enough?” They responded, “With you to lead us we cannot lose”. The general returned to his tent and burned his letter of resignation. This Christmas day, living in tents and with nothing to eat except wild game cooked with turnips, these men were in good spirits. This winter would be terrible for them and two thousand five hundred of these men would die before spring, most from disease and sickness. Though they had many reasons to be fearful, Christmas day 1777 found these men confident and they would emerge from this winter a disciplined and professional army that would defeat the British.

Who was George Goodykoontz and what happened to his family? George was one of more than eight thousand men who would emerge from Valley Forge and win our freedom for us. You will not read the name of George or his family in the history books, though we all know the battles they have fought and blood they have shed. They were just typical Americans and many times in the future, when liberty would be threatened his family would again take up arms. Some would come home and some would be buried on battlefields where they fell in foreign lands. From Valley Forge to Belleau Wood to Iraq and many wars in between George’s family would continue to defend freedom, whatever the cost.

The experts have estimated that one in four Americans have relatives that fought in the American Revolution. Once again, the experts are wrong. Being an American is not a bloodline. Whether your ancestors are indigenous, came over on the Mayflower or even if you stepped off a plane at Kennedy International Airport yesterday, you are related to those men at Valley Forge. Being an American is not a bloodline. Being American is a spirit within each of us, a spirit that willingly sacrifices for freedom and for others in times of need. Being American is seeing each other and the world around us differently than the way billions of people around the world see it. Millions of our fellow Americans today are filing paperwork and paying fees to American embassies around the world. They follow the rules and when yet another fee is asked for, somehow, they find the money. They have that same determination and grit that those men at Valley Forge had, and one day they will come home to a land they have seen only in their dreams, one day they will take the oath of citizenship. One day they will have a piece of paper that confirms they are what they have always been at heart, an American.

Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge

Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another Christmas finds our young people on foreign soil defending freedom. Our young men and women today continue to go in harm’s way defending freedom. Determination and freedom is their inheritance from those men at Valley Forge, the inheritance of all Americans native and immigrant alike. That Christmas long ago at Valley Forge was a turning point not just for a new republic, but also for millions of people around the world who in years to come would need us to defend their freedom from tyrants and dictators alike.

That Christmas long ago in Valley Forge was also a turning point for a general who was disheartened and had decided to resign and go home in defeat. On that Christmas day in 1777, the men of the continental army gave to General George Washington a Christmas present that we all have benefitted from. Those men gave to George Washington renewed hope, determination and cautious confidence that would lead us to independence and a new nation. That hope, determination and cautious confidence is alive today in the men and women of the military. This Christmas day as you sit down to dinner with your family, these men and women are walking the line to keep us safe. They are all Americans, though some have not yet received their official status of citizen. They are the legacy of General Washington and those men at Valley Forge. They are there in harm’s way for us. Thank you too all the George’s, whatever their names may be.

Author’s Note: George was also joined by his brother at Valley Forge. George died shortly after America won its independence. I have long said I would have liked to have been “a fly on the wall” when George told his wife he was joining Washington and leaving her with the children. Considering the many losses of General Washington, up to this point, I am sure she was not very positive about the idea.

English: National Park Service ranger in Conti...

English: National Park Service ranger in Continental Army uniform at Valley Forge, Penna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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by | April 4, 2012 · 1:47 pm

First Anniversary


"Titanic Book" Collection logo

"Titanic Book" Collection logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It has been one year since my first E-book was published. April 5, 2012 (actually tomorrow) will be my first anniversary.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, my readers. The past year has been a great learning experience. My grandfather believed in learning something new every day and I believe he would be pleased. My first E-book was Christmas Patrol. Click on the link below to read the summary of Christmas Patrol and download a free copy.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/51643

As my anniversary gift to YOU, follow the link below to read the summary for Titanic, A Search For Answers , see the youtube trailer for the book, and get 66% off the price of the E-book (good until 16 April 2012) or you can buy a copy and send it to someone as a gift. This is the only time I am announcing this discount and it is only good through the link below. When you go to checkout enter the following code: PX95U (not case sensitive).

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/53866

That’s

px95u

This is good until April 16, 2012.

Again … THANK YOU, for a great year!

 

e-book

e-book (Photo credit: Ángela Espinosa)

 

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